I’m putting this together to guide anyone in the community who strives to include the gluten free and celiac community. I’ve come across many in Albuquerque who have an interest and willingness to serve us but don’t know what that means. We appreciate you greatly and I hope this helps.
First, let’s understand the “why”. What is Celiac Disease and why do they have to be so careful with gluten?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where the ingestion of gluten damages the small intestine. With the damage, nutrients cannot be absorbed properly into the body which can lead to variety of serious symptoms and other conditions. Research shows that celiacs must avoid anything over 20 parts-per-million (ppm) to protect their intestines and that research contributes to the Gluten Free labeling laws by the FDA in America to require testing to be under 20 ppm of gluten to be labeled gluten free in the Unites States. Some countries require less detection of gluten. 20 ppm is very small, smaller than a crumb which is why cross-contact caution is so important. Celiac disease is not an allergy, it is autoimmune, however the general understanding that has been accepted in restaurants to state “allergy” so the severity is understood.
1. Understand what gluten is. Gluten a protein found in wheat (spelt, emmer, farro, and durum), rye, barley (including malt), brewer’s yeast, and often oats (which is a bit more complicated). Some people with celiac disease have an immune reaction to the avenin in oats, a protein similar to gluten, these people must avoid oats entirely. Oats are often harvested and processed with the same equipment that is used for wheat, and are therefore easily contaminated which is why the oats must be labeled gluten free to be eaten safely by a celiac
Gluten-removed beer is becoming wildly popular. It is a beer where the starting material is wheat, barley (malt), or rye that is then fermented and treated with an enzyme to break down the gluten protein into smaller parts. As there is no test to accurately detect gluten in hydrolyzed or fermented foods, there is no way of knowing how much gluten is present in gluten-removed beer, and it is not recommended for people with celiac disease (National Celiac).
2. Understand cross-contact. Sometimes referred to as cross contamination, cross contact is something celiacs must avoid. Cross contact is a process by which a gluten-free product comes into contact with something that is not gluten-free, making it unsafe for those with celiac disease. There are many obvious ways this may happen in a kitchen (using the same knife, cutting board, uncleaned pans etc).
Understanding how oats are problematic for celiacs: While oats are technically gluten free, there is also a risk of cross-contact during the growing, processing, and manufacturing processes (oats). They are typically processed with or near wheat which often leads to cross contact resulting is testing over 20 ppm (what the FDA allows to be considered gluten free and to be considered safe for celiacs). Because of this increased risk, many celiacs will only se certified gluten free oats that use a purity protocol which means they aren’t processed with wheat. Many companies who haven’t use certified gluten free oats run into problems with gluten testing. Aussie bites is a company who ran into this issue in part because of this and using shared equipment. Here is a good article on that. I could talk more about oats but it’s complicated so I’m not going to get into for the purpose of this blog. Bottom line is, get certified gluten free oats (when possible) and leave it up to the customer if they want to order it.
Cross contact risks in kitchens include: shared fryers, toasters, grills, waffle machines, utensils, pans, cutting boards, and knives. How to fix this? Fryers, toasters, and things like waffle machines should be dedicated gluten free to be enjoyed safely. Things like pans and knives etv must be cleaned with soap and water (not a wipe down with a wet cloth) to be considered safe. Many places keep an “allergy pan” in their kitchen or food truck to help. Places like Sushi Freak West Side take allergy orders to the back to avoid cross contact with their assembly line (like chipotle) and this is the “gold star” standard of care. Other places may choose to simply swap out utensils to serve, which is “good enough” standard. Gluten cannot be “killed off”. Grills can be cleaned, or you can put down foil to avoid cross contact.
Other sources of cross-contact include condiment jars (putting a knife in butter to slather on gluten bread then back in the butter), pasta or steaming water (you can’t use the same water for gluten and glutenous pasta).
Considerations for celiacs: Ovens can be shared (National Celiac), but it’s encouraged to avoid cooking gluten and gluten free at the same time. convection ovens use a fan to circulate air around food, this process can cause cross contact which is why some items like pizza can be a risk of cross contact. The choice is entirely up to the celiac.
3. What to disclose to customers regarding cross contact risk: Many celiac’s like myself, understand that unless the kitchen is 100% gluten free there cannot be a guarantee. If we choose to eat in these establishments it helps to know about risk for cross contact to make an informed choice. Transparency is always appreciated! This may include disclosing shared cooking surfaces or equipment, ovens, fryers, toasters and more.
4. Learn to read labels. Generally speaking, if a product is labeled gluten free is should be safe for celiacs unless there is oaks, then it needs to be certified gluten free or state that they follow a purity protocol so that they aren’t processed with wheat. There are some ingredients that may contain wheat like cornstarch, however because wheat is one of the top allergens in the Unites States that will be labeled as “contains wheat” or something similar. Unfortunately, barley and rye are not top allergens and can often be a hidden source of gluten. Ingredients that may contain barley or rye include: yeast extract, natural flavor, wheat starch, smoke flavoring. It is recommended to only eat products with these ingredients when they are labeled gluten free or you have verified with the manufacturer. When there is not a gluten free label I have been successful at times googling the manufacturer or company to check, especially if there are some suspicious ingredients. I highly recommend having an allergen list printed ready for your staff to reference.
Sources: FDA, National Celiac, Gluten Intolerance Group, Celiac Disease Foundation, Beyond Celiac, Gluten Dude
